Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
One Week Later
Rome, Italy
Serena
I blinked back the tears glossing over my eyes as I sifted through a soil sample, trying not to dwell on the fact that today was the final day excavating the Roman Forum—or at least it would be for the foreseeable future.
I’d been blindsided that morning, the rug viciously ripped out from under my feet when I found out that what little funding we had left for the excavation had been pulled earlier than expected for unexplained reasons. I was supposed to have cash flow until the end of the month, and losing it left me in a panic. Our permits expired today, and I didn’t have the funds to extend them. It meant I would financially need Anton sooner than expected.
I thought about him—he was never far from my mind. Despite his promises, I hadn’t heard from him since I’d left New York. He said he’d be here within a week, but seven days had passed without a word. I couldn’t count how many times I’d picked up the phone to text him. I’d type out a message, then backspace the entire thing in frustration.
A part of me thought that my days with him had only been imagined. But then I remembered my last night in the city. In his bed. His hands on my body—making me feel things I’d never before imagined. Even now, the memory of his touch caused a growing ache between my legs.
I scowled, and my face flushed, but it wasn’t from desire. I was embarrassed, wondering if he’d only used me for a cheep thrill. It wouldn’t be hard to believe I was exactly that. After all, he had no vested interest in a project like mine. Perhaps the carrot he’d dangled was just a tease meant to lure me into his bed.
The more I thought about it the more I was convinced I’d probably never see him again, but the idea of not looking into those gorgeous onyx eyes caused an unwelcomed pain in my chest. I missed him, even though I shouldn’t. Or perhaps it wasn’t him I was missing but rather the feelings he evoked. Anton made me want again, opening a part of myself that I’d shuttered long ago.
And I hated him for it.
Shaking off the unwanted emotions, I refocused my attention on the fragments appearing in the dirt as I sifted. When the sifter was nearly empty, I noticed a small, triangular-shaped stone resting on the screen. Pulling a small whisk broom from my work belt, I began to brush away the loose dirt. After careful examination, it didn’t take long to figure out I was staring at a rock. Not a long-lost relic. Not an ancient coin. Not a piece of broken pottery—simply a rock. At this point, I would even have settled for porphyry, but the columns of igneous rock that surrounded me didn’t want to give up any secrets today.
I looked up and scanned the Forum. The clear skies and warmer than average temperatures had made for perfect digging conditions. The frosty winter temperatures had fallen away weeks ago, clearing a path for an early spring and what was sure to be a hot summer. Tall Italian stone pines dotted the landscape, creating an umbrella canopy across the seven hills.
Despite the splendor, I felt numb, and I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate it—at least not today.
My unshed tears began to well until one slid down my cheek. Everything I’d been working for—everything my father had worked for—was likely coming to an end. I’d failed him.
“Find anything good?” said a male voice from behind me. I glanced back to see Jared Griffin walking toward me. He was a recruit from Texas who’d volunteered to be on the archeological fieldwork team.
Standing, I dusted my hands off on my jeans. I quickly brushed my tears away, not wanting to be seen having a moment of weakness in front of a team member.
“It was nothing. Just a meaningless stone—nothing that will generate new funding,” I replied, struggling to keep the melancholy from my voice.
“Don’t sweat it. You know how these things work. We’ll get a new donor, you’ll see.” Jared tried to reassure me. He didn’t know about my deal with Anton—yet. And that was assuming there still was a deal. While Jared was forever the optimist, I never celebrated until I had proof of funds.
“Time will tell,” I murmured.
“Our work would have stalled anyway due to the summer holiday travelers. They make it too hard to focus. Tourist traffic has already picked up, and you know this place will be swarming before long. ”
I nodded in agreement. That was the problem with digging in a popular area. The tourists often had little care for the clearly marked excavation site, and the Polizia di Stato had to make regular patrols to make sure people didn’t cross the line into dangerous zones.
“Maybe you’re right, Jared. For now, it’s getting late, and I still have to get with the city about our permits. I’m hoping they’ll grant us an exception and allow us to leave things as they are. I don’t want to have to backfill all the trenches if I can help it.”
Jared’s eyes widened and he groaned. “We’ll lose so much if we have to start from scratch.”
I pursed my lips and tried to tamp down the apprehension I felt. If Anton didn’t follow through on his promise, there was a very high probability that we’d never get to finish our work here.
“I’m going to tell the crew to call it and start packing up the site. Have you seen Craig anywhere?” I asked, wondering why I hadn’t seen my lead researcher all day.
“He’s actually headed this way now,” Jared said, pointing to the right. I followed his finger to see Craig Davies jogging toward us.
“Your ears must have been ringing. I was just looking for you,” I remarked when Craig reached us.
“Hiya, Serena. I was stuck in the lab all bloody day and just heard about our funding getting pulled early. That’s rubbish!” he said with disgust. Craig’s British slang was always most prominent when he was upset by something. He shook his head, the action causing his wire-rimmed glasses to slide down his nose. Pushing them back into place, he continued. “So much work has gone into this. Absolutely gutting news, it is. Anyway, I came to find you because there’s a strange bloke here looking for you. He said his name is Anton something or other.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Anton .
The name echoed through me, stirring a jolt of something I dared not acknowledge. And once again, images of our last night together flashed in my mind. The best sex of my life. His eyes had been dark and intense, like he was peeling back the layers to find my soul. I could almost feel the way his hands had slid over my skin, making me forget where I was until my only focus was on the desperate heat of the moment.
“What did he say?” I asked as casually as I could.
“Not much. He showed up in a black Maserati right after I arrived. Asked to see Dr. Martinelli. I figured you might be busy, so I asked him why he was looking for you. I thought maybe I could help. He said you were expecting him. Shall I tell him to bugger off?”
“No,” I said, albeit a little too quickly. “I can handle it. Where is he now?”
“Last I saw, he was near the trailer. He’s with some other guy in a suit. The pair will be hard to miss,” Craig said.
Most likely, Zeke was the second suit.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because they are the only fellows gallivanting around in the dust wearing posh suits and shiny shoes.”
Jared snorted, but I ignored him. Turning away from Jared and Craig, I began walking down Via Sacra, the main pedestrian road in the Forum.
When I reached the crew trailer, I looked around. In the distance, I saw the sleek Maserati parked illegally near the bottom of Capitoline Hill but there was no sign of Anton or Zeke. Scanning the area, I stopped short when I spotted the tops of two heads, their bodies hidden behind a large soil heap. The absence of hardhats set me on alert. If they were field workers, they’d know better than to go into a trench without the proper gear. It was an unsafe location, even for an experienced excavator. Whoever it was didn’t belong there.
Probably a tourist. Dammit !
I hurried off to shoo the people away from the freshly dug hole.
“Hey, you two!” I called to them. “ è pericoloso! It’s dangerous! You need to clear that area.”
They began to make their way up the bank and around the large pile of dirt and rock sediment until they came into full view.
And lo and behold.
The two careless fools were none other than Anton and Zeke.
Despite my irritation, I couldn’t help but notice the way the men moved. They didn’t walk side-by-side. Instead, Zeke followed slightly behind, looking around conspicuously, a certain amount of intimidation in his stride. If I didn’t already know he was a bodyguard, it would be apparent now.
I turned my attention to Anton. He looked especially sexy today in dark sunglasses, his broad frame filling out his perfectly tailored black suit. He strode toward me with an air of grace and confidence, as if he owned the world and everything in it.
But this wasn’t his world—it was mine.
And he was breaking all the rules.
“Are you crazy? You can’t just go walking around a dig like you’re out for a stroll,” I scolded.
“Hello to you, too, princess.”
“I’m serious. We haven’t secured the balk.”
His brows rose over the top of his sunglasses before he slowly removed them. “I’m sorry? The balk?”
I sighed, forgetting that I wasn’t speaking to someone versed in my world.
“The balk. It’s a wall of earth meant to maintain structural integrity. It could crumble if someone simply stepped or pushed against the wrong area.”
“You look different,” he said, rather than acknowledge his wrongdoing.
I looked down at my dusty pants, suddenly self-conscious about the grime on my hands. The last time he saw me, my nails had been perfectly manicured. Now, I was a mess. I automatically reached up to smooth my dark hair behind my ears.
“It’s impossible to stay clean in this line of work.”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided grin. “I like you dirty.”
My eyes widened, and my pulse quickened as heat crept up my neck. He was a respectable distance away, but it didn’t feel that way. He was just so there , radiating with authority. Heat surged in his eyes, the palpable wave making me dizzy.
An unhurried smile curved his lips—lips that looked like they belonged on a fallen angel amidst a storm. He was so sure of himself. Arrogant. Gorgeous as sin, and he knew it. That confidence is what drew me to him in the first place.
“I haven’t heard from you. Where have you been?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but it didn’t matter. I crossed my arms, a weak shield against the force of him. Anything less would invite him to trample over me. It was becoming our routine. He intimidated, and I pushed back. Somewhere in between, I lost more of myself to him than I ever intended.
A maddening smirk played on his lips, daring me to rise to whatever challenge he was preparing to throw my way. Zeke loomed silently behind him, as stoic and immovable as ever, his presence adding a measure of importance to Anton’s arrival.
“I told you I’d be here within a week, princess,” he said, his voice smooth as silk and just as dangerous. “And here I am.”
I glared at him, my irritation clawing its way to the surface.
“Within a week,” I repeated. “But no calls, no texts, no clue when to expect you. A little communication would have been appreciated.”
His smirk deepened, his dark eyes glinting with amusement—or was it satisfaction? His gaze swept over me slowly, deliberately, as though cataloging every inch of me. From my dusty boots to the braid over my shoulder, he took it all in. But it wasn’t just an innocent appraisal—it was a touchless caress, reminding me of the power he wielded.
“Careful, or I might think you missed me.” His smirk tilted into a grin, the kind that made my pulse falter.
I stiffened under his scrutiny, heat rising to my face.
“No.” I snapped, though we both knew it was a lie. “I just don’t appreciate being left in the dark, Anton. Not when people are counting on me.”
“You’re right. And I’m sorry. I’m not used to…” He paused, then held my gaze. “I’m not used to answering to people.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away, refusing to let him see how his words—or his presence—unnerved me.
“I’m not someone you have to answer to. It would have been a courtesy, that’s all. Especially given…well, given everything,” I said, my tone clipped as I tried to busy myself with one of the tools hooked to my belt. I didn’t want him to know how utterly discarded I’d felt only moments before he’d shown up. “My team has begun packing up the dig site. Today’s the last day for us for a while. The permits expire at midnight.”
“Packing up?” He crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one foot like he belonged there—as if this dusty, sun-scorched place could ever match the glossy perfection of him. “Can’t you extend the permits?”
I signed. “Not without money. And I’m all out of that. I’m headed back to Lucca shortly.”
He frowned, his displeasure evident in every line of his face. “Why aren’t you staying in Rome? I’ve booked the penthouse suite at the St. Regis.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t pre-pay for that fancy hotel,” I said, still irritated over his seven days of radio silence to care much about his inconvenience. If he’d called or texted, he would have been aware of the situation. “I can’t stay. My apartment lease is up, too. That’s why I’m going back to Lucca. ”
For a moment, surprise flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced by something more measured. “You’re moving that quickly?”
I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance even though his attention was suffocating.
“I’m used to not keeping roots anywhere for very long. The apartment was a fully furnished rental. All I had to pack were my personal belongings, and I did that this morning. My car is already loaded. My mother is expecting me tonight.”
Anton straightened, his posture shifting from casual to full-blown alpha male in a way that made my heart stumble.
“Your mother? No. I’ll book a new hotel in Lucca. You’ll stay with me.”
He wasn’t asking. I was quickly learning that Anton never asked.
He commanded.
I nearly laughed out loud. “I can’t stay with you. Not only would my mother never forgive me for living in sin, but I have a lot to figure out. Until I have a concrete plan for what comes next, I’m just going to stay at my mother’s house. No sense in starting a new lease when I’m not sure where I’ll be in a few weeks.”
“But our agreement?—”
“Did not include sleepovers.”
“You’re a grown woman who doesn’t need to ask permission from a parent.”
“It’s not about asking permission. It’s about showing respect for my mother and her beliefs. I don’t agree with her, but I don’t need to flaunt it.” I paused, sighing. “Don’t worry. I’ll still keep my end of the deal—assuming we still have a deal.”
“Of course we have a deal. I promised you five hundred thousand, and I’m a man of my word.” He held my gaze, unyielding, as he seemed to come to a decision. “Give me your mother’s address. ”
My pulse quickened, but I didn’t know why. Perhaps it was his commanding tone. Or maybe it was his furious expression—as if he wanted nothing more than to take me over his knee. Surprisingly, I would have welcomed it. I’d rather enjoyed the sting of his palm on the one and only night we’d shared.
I rattled off the address like it didn’t matter—like he didn’t matter—despite my racing heart.
“I’ll be in touch later once I have a hotel,” he said, his voice low and edgy. “I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain. Plan on seeing me tonight, princess.”
And with that, he turned, walking away with that infuriating confidence. Zeke trailed after him like the silent shadow he was. I watched them go with my arms crossed, my body locked in place as my mind churned with a mix of frustration and the desire I didn’t want to acknowledge.
He walked like he owned the world. Maybe he did.
Or maybe he just owned me.